Sorry for the late chapter again. Kinda hard to work when your parents lie around the living room and watch movies you're not interested in all weekend... the whole three-day weekend. Kept getting migraines. Well, here goes!
Chapter 6:
The day had finally come to an end, as did the rain. The clouds were clearing to allow the stars and moon to shine over the oasis. The occupants were settling down to sleep. Zuri walked past the warthogs' nests, rubbing her paws together anxiously. She made her way to her nest, and stopped when she noticed Timon was sitting up in the nest with his eyes partway open. Kito and Shani were lying next to him, asleep. Zuri rubbed the back of her neck, and approached. She cleared her throat to get Timon's attention.
Timon looked over at her, stood, stretched, and yawned, "Kept your spot warm." He hopped out of the nest and started to walk away. "Good night."
"Where are you going?" Zuri asked.
Timon stopped and turned to look at her. "Well, you're still kinda upset with me, aren't ya? I was gonna save you the trouble of kicking me out."
"Get back here. I wasn't going to send you anywhere."
Timon walked back over to her. "So you forgive me?"
Zuri grinned as she pat Timon's cheek, and then said, "Not yet. But I realized I shouldn't have brought it up while you were feeling like this. I should've waited until you were feeling like yourself."
Timon couldn't resist asking with a grin, "So... you were wrong?"
Zuri sucked some air through her teeth, "Well... I wasn't thinking about your feelings."
"Zuri..."
Zuri poked Timon in the chest. "Timon, what I have to say can wait 'til morning. I have a lot on my mind and a lot of things I want to say to you, but I feel it's not the right time and we'd both have trouble sleeping through the night."
"If you say so. Ladies first," Timon gestured with his arm. Zuri walked ahead and climbed into the nest, followed by Timon. Both were careful not to wake the two sleeping pups in the nest. But... neither of the pups was really asleep.
Kito carefully climbed out of the nest when he was sure both of his parents were asleep. He walked towards the warthogs' nest and stood in front of Bango. He stared at the warthog, and then he folded his arms and tapped his foot. He rolled his eyes and climbed onto Bango's snout. He pulled one of Bango's eyelids up, and waited until Bango opened his other eye before whispering, "Rise and swine."
Bango carefully stood and stretched, yawning. He stepped out of the nest and walked a good distance before he sat down and yawned, "When you said we'd be leaving tonight, I didn't realize you meant in the dead of night."
Kito jumped off Bango's snout and dusted himself off. "Duh. If we leave in the dead of night when everyone is asleep, then it's less likely we'll be caught. I'm surprised you could even sleep knowing the excitement that's ahead."
"Well, I do feel bad that we're not telling our parents about this."
"I don't feel super about this either, but I want to know what happened to Uncle Titus. And if Dad won't do anything but mope, we'll never know. Now, come on. We gotta get as far as we can in the desert before dawn. I don't want to get sunburned."
Bango looked forward and gulped, "Uh, Kito..."
"What, you're gonna tell me meerkats don't get sunburned?"
"No, that wasn't it."
"Then what?" Kito looked where Bango was looking and gulped.
"You know... Daddy says no midnight snacks unless he's invited," Shani, who was leaning against a tree in front of the duo, said.
"We're not midnight snacking," Bango said.
"Then what are you doing?"
"We're uh... we're uh..." Bango mumbled.
"Uh, sleepwalking!" Kito finished.
"With your eyes open?" Shani asked with an arched eyebrow.
"It's dark out here! You want us to trip over something and break our necks?"
"She's not buying it, Kito," Bango mumbled to him.
"Why wouldn't she buy it? Girls buy everything."
"Even if I hadn't overheard you two talking about going on an adventure to find Uncle Titus, I wouldn't have bought your little 'sleepwalking-with-your-eyes-open' bit," Shani said, using quotation fingers.
"You were spying on us?" Kito asked with a furrowed brow.
"No, I was watching you without you knowing," Shani sarcastically answered.
"Please, Shani, don't tattle on us. We can make everyone happier if we find Uncle Titus," Bango said as he pressed his front hooves together in a begging manner.
"You don't even know if he's alive or not."
"We will when we find Rafiki. He knows a lot of stuff, so he might be able to mix some potion together and tell us if he's alive or not," Kito said, making a few mixing gestures with his paws.
"And if he's not alive, we'll come right back... right?" Bango asked.
"Right."
"You two are crazy. You're both going to get into trouble and Daddy won't be there to help you," Shani said, stamping her foot.
"We wouldn't ask him to," Kito said, folding his arms in front of his chest. Bango gulped. Kito continued, "Anyway, we won't get into any trouble."
"Yeah, right. This coming from someone who went bungee jumping without a bungee today," Shani said, rolling her eyes.
"That was a sugar rush!"
"Yeah, and it was the sugar rush that made you come up with this plan."
"Shani, please, you have to shut up and cover us while we're gone."
"Nuh-uh. It's a free oasis. I don't have to do anything for you," Shani said, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"Not even for your own brother?"
"And cousin?" Bango poked into the scene, flashing a smile.
Shani's hold-tough expression began to fade. "Well... at least let me come along with you."
Kito quickly shook his head. "Nuh-uh, no way, no how, no chance. If they notice both of the savior's pups are gone, they'll know something fishy's going on."
Shani grimaced, "I see your point."
"You won't squeal on us, will you, Shani?" Bango asked with big, sad eyes.
Shani groaned, "Oy... with the face and the eyes and the... ugh. All right, all right, I'll do my best to keep everyone from noticing you're gone. Just get that face away from me."
"Yay," Bango smiled.
"But you owe me big time, Kito. Especially if they found out I let you go."
"Put it on my tab," Kito said as he climbed onto Bango's back.
"Just... be careful, OK? I don't wanna be an only child like Daddy."
"Shani... if fate's on our side, Dad won't be an only child ever again. Let's go, Bango!" Bango nodded and ran off towards the desert.
Shani shook her head and turned to head back to the nest. She stopped when she noticed some grubs scurry by. She grinned, "Well... guess since I'm still up..." She dashed after the speedy little devils, kicking some dirt up as she ran after them.
To be continued...
Chapter 6:
The day had finally come to an end, as did the rain. The clouds were clearing to allow the stars and moon to shine over the oasis. The occupants were settling down to sleep. Zuri walked past the warthogs' nests, rubbing her paws together anxiously. She made her way to her nest, and stopped when she noticed Timon was sitting up in the nest with his eyes partway open. Kito and Shani were lying next to him, asleep. Zuri rubbed the back of her neck, and approached. She cleared her throat to get Timon's attention.
Timon looked over at her, stood, stretched, and yawned, "Kept your spot warm." He hopped out of the nest and started to walk away. "Good night."
"Where are you going?" Zuri asked.
Timon stopped and turned to look at her. "Well, you're still kinda upset with me, aren't ya? I was gonna save you the trouble of kicking me out."
"Get back here. I wasn't going to send you anywhere."
Timon walked back over to her. "So you forgive me?"
Zuri grinned as she pat Timon's cheek, and then said, "Not yet. But I realized I shouldn't have brought it up while you were feeling like this. I should've waited until you were feeling like yourself."
Timon couldn't resist asking with a grin, "So... you were wrong?"
Zuri sucked some air through her teeth, "Well... I wasn't thinking about your feelings."
"Zuri..."
Zuri poked Timon in the chest. "Timon, what I have to say can wait 'til morning. I have a lot on my mind and a lot of things I want to say to you, but I feel it's not the right time and we'd both have trouble sleeping through the night."
"If you say so. Ladies first," Timon gestured with his arm. Zuri walked ahead and climbed into the nest, followed by Timon. Both were careful not to wake the two sleeping pups in the nest. But... neither of the pups was really asleep.
Kito carefully climbed out of the nest when he was sure both of his parents were asleep. He walked towards the warthogs' nest and stood in front of Bango. He stared at the warthog, and then he folded his arms and tapped his foot. He rolled his eyes and climbed onto Bango's snout. He pulled one of Bango's eyelids up, and waited until Bango opened his other eye before whispering, "Rise and swine."
Bango carefully stood and stretched, yawning. He stepped out of the nest and walked a good distance before he sat down and yawned, "When you said we'd be leaving tonight, I didn't realize you meant in the dead of night."
Kito jumped off Bango's snout and dusted himself off. "Duh. If we leave in the dead of night when everyone is asleep, then it's less likely we'll be caught. I'm surprised you could even sleep knowing the excitement that's ahead."
"Well, I do feel bad that we're not telling our parents about this."
"I don't feel super about this either, but I want to know what happened to Uncle Titus. And if Dad won't do anything but mope, we'll never know. Now, come on. We gotta get as far as we can in the desert before dawn. I don't want to get sunburned."
Bango looked forward and gulped, "Uh, Kito..."
"What, you're gonna tell me meerkats don't get sunburned?"
"No, that wasn't it."
"Then what?" Kito looked where Bango was looking and gulped.
"You know... Daddy says no midnight snacks unless he's invited," Shani, who was leaning against a tree in front of the duo, said.
"We're not midnight snacking," Bango said.
"Then what are you doing?"
"We're uh... we're uh..." Bango mumbled.
"Uh, sleepwalking!" Kito finished.
"With your eyes open?" Shani asked with an arched eyebrow.
"It's dark out here! You want us to trip over something and break our necks?"
"She's not buying it, Kito," Bango mumbled to him.
"Why wouldn't she buy it? Girls buy everything."
"Even if I hadn't overheard you two talking about going on an adventure to find Uncle Titus, I wouldn't have bought your little 'sleepwalking-with-your-eyes-open' bit," Shani said, using quotation fingers.
"You were spying on us?" Kito asked with a furrowed brow.
"No, I was watching you without you knowing," Shani sarcastically answered.
"Please, Shani, don't tattle on us. We can make everyone happier if we find Uncle Titus," Bango said as he pressed his front hooves together in a begging manner.
"You don't even know if he's alive or not."
"We will when we find Rafiki. He knows a lot of stuff, so he might be able to mix some potion together and tell us if he's alive or not," Kito said, making a few mixing gestures with his paws.
"And if he's not alive, we'll come right back... right?" Bango asked.
"Right."
"You two are crazy. You're both going to get into trouble and Daddy won't be there to help you," Shani said, stamping her foot.
"We wouldn't ask him to," Kito said, folding his arms in front of his chest. Bango gulped. Kito continued, "Anyway, we won't get into any trouble."
"Yeah, right. This coming from someone who went bungee jumping without a bungee today," Shani said, rolling her eyes.
"That was a sugar rush!"
"Yeah, and it was the sugar rush that made you come up with this plan."
"Shani, please, you have to shut up and cover us while we're gone."
"Nuh-uh. It's a free oasis. I don't have to do anything for you," Shani said, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"Not even for your own brother?"
"And cousin?" Bango poked into the scene, flashing a smile.
Shani's hold-tough expression began to fade. "Well... at least let me come along with you."
Kito quickly shook his head. "Nuh-uh, no way, no how, no chance. If they notice both of the savior's pups are gone, they'll know something fishy's going on."
Shani grimaced, "I see your point."
"You won't squeal on us, will you, Shani?" Bango asked with big, sad eyes.
Shani groaned, "Oy... with the face and the eyes and the... ugh. All right, all right, I'll do my best to keep everyone from noticing you're gone. Just get that face away from me."
"Yay," Bango smiled.
"But you owe me big time, Kito. Especially if they found out I let you go."
"Put it on my tab," Kito said as he climbed onto Bango's back.
"Just... be careful, OK? I don't wanna be an only child like Daddy."
"Shani... if fate's on our side, Dad won't be an only child ever again. Let's go, Bango!" Bango nodded and ran off towards the desert.
Shani shook her head and turned to head back to the nest. She stopped when she noticed some grubs scurry by. She grinned, "Well... guess since I'm still up..." She dashed after the speedy little devils, kicking some dirt up as she ran after them.
To be continued...